Young people say “Bye! Bye!” to Cyberbullying and Online Hate Speech

Skopje, 19 June 2023: To mark International Day Against Hate Speech, UNICEF and Telekom Foundation for Macedonia launched a new social media campaign against cyberbullying and online hate speech that was co-created with children and young people individuals.

Under the slogan “Bullying Bye-Bye” the campaign includes over twenty social media videos. Some including messages such as “Words carry weight so choose them carefully” to shed light on the harmful effects of cyberbullying. Others include messages calling on young people themselves to not be bystanders and offer support if they witness cyberbullying.

“Cyberbullying is an everyday reality for children and young people around the world.  Repeated hurtful behaviours aimed at scaring, angering, or shaming those who are targeted impacts their overall emotional well-being and mental health,” said Patrizia DiGiovanni, UNICEF Representative. "I am proud to see how young people themselves have come together to speak up and use their creativity to promote being respectful and kind to their peers and to defend the victims."

„Our goal is to give young people a voice to fight online hate speech. To help them develop skills and knowledge, and to encourage them to be loud and brave. This said, the final product - the social media campaign, for which they took on the roles of creators, directors and actors, is completely theirs. Their passion and dedication are clearly seen in the creative solutions. We are proud of the work they achieved and believe that it will positively influence many other young people“, said Lea Lipsha, Director of Foundation Telekom for Macedonia. 

The campaign was developed together with some thirty children and young people who worked tirelessly during UNICEF and Foundation Telekom for Macedonia campaign co-creation workshops.

The co-created campaign was developed as part of a long-term partnership between UNICEF and the Telecom Foundation for Macedonia, which aims to engage children and young people in tackling some of the biggest challenges facing their generation.